Sheets, pillowcases, and other bedding products used in the hospitality industry are changed and washed on a frequent basis due to the high volume of guests staying for short term intervals. To meet stringent hospitality standards for cleanliness, such hospitality linens are often subjected to a laundering process that is much more strenuous than the washing process used in an ordinary residential home setting. Hospitality laundering often entails much higher temperatures than residential washing and commonly employs commercial grade surfactants that are much more severe than their residential counterparts. Due to the extreme strain upon products during hospitality laundering, there is a high likelihood that the color of any colored portion of these products will fade and/or bleed onto, crock, or otherwise stain other portions of the pillowcase, sheet, or other item during use, washing, and/or drying. Accordingly, any hospitality product that includes any color must exhibit substantial color-fastness.
The term “colorfastness” is used in the textiles industry to denote the degree to which a dyed article will retain or maintain its original finished hue and resist fading or running of color over time due to washing, drying, exposure to sun or other bright light, and/or other types of wear during the useful life of the article. Factors known in the industry to affect colorfastness primarily include the types of fibers, dyes, and treatments used for initially producing an article and setting its color. However, although these factors can be identified on a general level, the details and exact modifications necessary to achieve improvements in colorfastness are infrequently so easy to articulate. As such, even though extensive testing and significant effort has been dedicated to advancing the art of colorfastness, articles with multiple colors are not known to be used in the hospitality industry at present.